President Barack Obama made a side trip to his hometown of Chicago, after touting health care reform in Cleveland, to attend two fund-raising events for the benefit of the Democratic National Committee. In one event, more than 100 supporters attended the $15,200/plate dinner held at the home of Penny Pritzker. A much larger group paid $250 to $2,500 each to attend the second fundraiser held at a downtown hotel.

In both gatherings, Obama urged attendees to support his proposed health care reforms which are facing resistance in Congress. He added that the nation must not return to a pattern of cutting taxes for the wealthy and letting the deficit soar, “a path where our health care costs keep rising” and “our financial markets remain an unregulated crapshoot.” The two events were expected to yield as much as $3 million that would help finance Democratic candidates in next year’s elections. All 435 House seats are up for grabs next year, along with a third of the U.S. Senate’s seats and many governorships.